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Diversity in Organizations

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  • First Online:
Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance

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Synonyms

Difference; Distinctiveness; Diversification; Variety

Definition

Workforce diversity is when organizations are composed of individuals with a wide range of characteristics and experiences. Some key characteristics are religious and political beliefs, gender, ethnicity, education, socioeconomic background, sexual orientation, and geographic location.

Introduction

Organizations are composed of employees with different characteristics. Greater numbers or amounts of differences signify greater diversity. Key characteristics include, but are not limited to: religion, gender, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. These characteristics can impact whether a person is offered a job. They also can impact how a person is viewed in that job, including potential opportunities for advancement. Workforce diversity looks different depending on where in the world an organization is located. Diversity looks different in heterogeneous countries, such as the United States, versus more homogeneous...

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References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ball State University, Muncie, IN, USA

    Katharine Leigh

Authors
  1. Katharine Leigh
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Katharine Leigh .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida, USA

    Ali Farazmand

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© 2016 Springer International Publishing AG

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Leigh, K. (2016). Diversity in Organizations. In: Farazmand, A. (eds) Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31816-5_129-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31816-5_129-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-31816-5

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Economics and FinanceReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

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